Finals Study Tips

Ok, I’m going to take a quick break from finishing up my take-home final that’s due this afternoon. This post will be about random tips for finals studying – whatever pops up in my mind as I’m writing.

1. Study in a well-lit, spacious environment –This one’s a big one for me, personally. I don’t care too much about noise or people around me. As long as I have a lot of light and a decent amount of space, I find that I’m much more efficient.

2. Eat and sleep well –Typically, I make sure that I eat well during dead week and finals. Maybe it’s partially stress-related, but if you’re suffering, you might as well enjoy good food. Just don’t each too much, you might get food coma and pass out. Fruits are a must. Also, don’t neglect sleep! You need to be well-rested, and you can’t afford to get sick.

3. Study in groups (only if it helps) – This really depends on the person. Some people study better in groups, some better alone. Figure out which you’d prefer, or if you like to mix things up a bit and do a little bit of both. Group study, when done right, can be extremely helpful, because you’ll gain new insight or learn difficult concepts you weren’t able to understand.

4. Listen to music or “white noise” – Music keeps me sane during long and tedious study sessions. I find that I’m good at tuning out lyrics and mentally allocating the sound to the background, but I know others might have a problem doing this. If needed, I recommend listening to “white noise,”which is just a soft noise constantly playing in the background that keeps out distracting sounds and calms the nerves.

5. Take some breaks (really) – Please please please take breaks. You deserve them! Get up, walk around, go outside, watch some YouTube clips. You need time for your brain to process information, and constantly stuffing your head with facts and figures hinders this. Just be sure to exert some self-control – you don’t want to be stuck on YouTube for hours on end, watching cute puppy clips and ignoring your studies.

As a final word of advice, if you find yourself freaking out, take some deep breaths, and realize that others, no matter how composed they appear on the outside, are probably freaking out as well. We’re in this together, and we’ll make it through.